


traitor in my chest

by fonulyn



Category: Biohazard | Resident Evil (Gameverse)
Genre: Arguing, Denial of Feelings, Enemies to Lovers, Eventual Smut, Fuck Canon, Getting Together, M/M, Misunderstandings, OR more like forced allies to lovers, Piers Nivans Lives, Piers is alive and happy and healthy, Post-Resident Evil 6, Unresolved Romantic Tension, Unresolved Sexual Tension, both get resolved eventually though, but still, canon typical stuff, chreon is total relationship goals tho, dislike to lovers?, main!jake/piers, only the last scene tho, side!chreon, some vague action
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-28
Updated: 2019-12-28
Packaged: 2021-02-24 23:34:45
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 21,328
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22006285
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fonulyn/pseuds/fonulyn
Summary: “Oh, such a good attitude for servitude,” Jake drawled, his tone so fake it was obvious he was making fun of Piers. “I bet soldiers like you, willing to doanythingto serve, are really popular in the… BSAA, was it?” He was still blinking innocently at the other man, but there was enough in his voice to make his real intentions clear.And he wasn’t disappointed, as his bait was swallowed immediately, hook and sinker and all. “Screw you!” Piers’ cheeks heated up with agitation. Reluctantly Jake had to admit to himself that it was a good look on him. Way too good, damnit.“Oh?” Jake allowed his lips to stretch to a lecherous grin, holding Piers’ gaze with his own, neither of them even blinking. “Are you offering?”--Or the one wherein Sherry gets abducted, and Leon, Chris, Jake and Piers end up staging a rescue operation. Jake thinks Piers is very pretty, Piers thinks Jake is infuriating, and Chris and Leon are relationship goals.
Relationships: Jake Muller/Piers Nivans, Leon S. Kennedy/Chris Redfield
Comments: 30
Kudos: 230





	traitor in my chest

**Author's Note:**

> I was playing RE6 with my brother, and got struck with the most intense urge to write this pairing? it went something like;
>
>> me: I’m gonna write a quick jake/piers fic, maybe 1k maximum 2k just a little thing!
>
>> also me, 20k later: well, _fuck_
> 
> also it has pretty prominent side Chreon in it because I can’t _not_ include Leon into everything I do 8) it might be a problem but I’m so not going to fix it so. it is what it is lol. I _am_ sorry for damseling Sherry because she is awesome, but she was the easiest common denominator to pull the group together.
> 
> idk what else to say, I hope you’ll find this enjoyable! it was at least fun to write :3
> 
> ((ALSO if you're not into smut, the story reads fairly well without it too so just skip the very last scene lol))

“I need your help.”

The door had barely opened before Jake already pushed his way in, nearly bowling Leon over in his haste to get inside. He seemed agitated, restless and unable to stay still, and it was more than obvious that something was majorly wrong. So Leon chose to forego all the reprimands, instead frowning at the young man questioningly. “What’s going on?” 

The frown on Jake’s face twisted into an even deeper one, the scar on his cheek pulling on his skin. He crossed his arms over his chest, searching for words for a split second before the information just burst out of him. “Sherry has been abducted.” He tried to look as angry as he could, but that did nothing to cover up the devastation. 

Leon had no time to dwell on how he’d never seen Jake so worried, ever, because momentary panic flared up inside of him as well. He knew better than to let it take over, though, and instead his mind snapped into the professional setting, cataloguing every possible course of action they could take. “Sit down,” he ordered, and when Jake didn’t move immediately he practically pushed him down to sit on the couch. “Tell me everything you know.”

*

When his own resources had failed, Jake’s first instinct had been to come to Leon for help, and it immediately proved to be the right choice. Within twelve hours of when he’d barged into Leon’s apartment he was already sitting on a plane to Europe, restless and worried, but still somewhat calmed by the fact that he was getting to do something. They were on their way.

Even though Jake wouldn’t have necessarily wanted the BSAA jarheads to tag along with them. Logically he knew that they made a better team with both Leon’s resources and the BSAA’s in play, and it wasn’t that he still harbored any ill will towards the legendary Captain Redfield. Yet the man made him antsy somehow, and he disliked these military types already on principle. 

Although the young sniper was incredibly pretty, to the point that Jake kept stealing glances at him. They had barely spoken to each other when they’d met in Edonia and then in China a couple of years earlier, and he just remembered being both annoyed and attracted even back then. Apparently time hadn’t done anything to change that, at least. 

Somehow Jake managed to sit still for the first two hours of the flight, but then the restlessness got the better of him. If he couldn’t do anything useful and work towards saving Sherry, maybe he could at least distract himself from the huge lump of worry that was sitting in the pit of his stomach like a slab of concrete. 

So easily Jake slipped from his seat, shamelessly plopping down onto the empty seat next to the soldier. “Piers, was it?” he asked conversationally, while already making himself comfortable. Or as comfortable as he could in a cramped airplane. 

The initial response he gained was a frown, not altogether hostile but not necessarily friendly either. “What’s it to you?” Piers asked instead of replying. He tried to appear as nonchalant and disinterested as possible, but he was already inching a little towards the window, shifting so he could bring as much space between them as possible while they were both still sitting down. 

That drew a smirk from Jake, and he stretched his arms, before leaning over the armrest between their seats to grin brightly at the other man. “Don’t you remember me? I thought someone as ruggedly handsome and charming as me would stay on your radar forever.”

There was a brief huff of laughter that Piers quickly covered up, his face settling back to the earlier disapproving frown. “I never said I didn’t remember. I just don’t care.” He arched an eyebrow, as if challenging. ”I’m here because I have a job to do. Captain needs the backup, and I’m here to provide.”

“Oh, such a good attitude for servitude,” Jake drawled, his tone so fake it was obvious he was making fun of Piers. “I bet soldiers like you, willing to do _anything_ to serve, are really popular in the… BSAA, was it?” He was still blinking innocently at the other man, but there was enough in his voice to make his real intentions clear. 

And he wasn’t disappointed, as his bait was swallowed immediately, hook and sinker and all. “Screw you!” Piers’ cheeks heated up with agitation. Reluctantly Jake had to admit to himself that it was a good look on him. Way too good, damnit. 

“Oh?” Jake allowed his lips to stretch to a lecherous grin, holding Piers’ gaze with his own, neither of them even blinking. “Are you offering?”

“No!”

“Hey, could you keep it down a little?” The sudden voice drew them both from their standoff. Leon was next to their seats, bent over a little to peer at them. He nodded back towards the backrow of the plane, where Chris was huddled in a seat with a jacket over his torso as a makeshift blanket. “He really needs the sleep. And I wouldn’t mind catching a moment myself, before we land. Who knows what we’ll be up against.”

The blush on Piers’ cheeks deepened, spreading all the way to his neck and probably lower. Jake kind of wanted to slide that shirt off him to see if he blushed with his entire body, or just his face and neck. Damnit. Where did these urges now suddenly surface from?

“Sorry, sir,” Piers apologized immediately. He seemed to really feel bad about it, too, as he glanced towards the sleeping Captain and something like… was that affection? crossed over his features. 

Leon just smiled, reaching out to clap Piers on the shoulder. “I’m not your superior, Piers. Drop the ’sir’.” He pulled back, straightening to his full height. “Try to get some sleep, too. We need you at your best.” He spoke at Piers, but gave Jake a pointed look as well, making sure he knew that the reprimand was meant for him as well. He didn’t stay for longer, but made his way to the back of the plane, settling next to Chris. 

Piers was very determinedly not looking at Jake at all, staring out of the window even though it was so dark outside there was really nothing to even look at. 

Maybe it was just to slight him, but Jake remained where he was. He slid lower in his seat, stretching his long legs across the limited space available, and effectively trapped Piers between himself and the wall of the aircraft. It might’ve been petty, but oh well. It made him feel better. 

Accustomed to sleeping just about anywhere, it took Jake like fifteen seconds before he passed out.

*

The flight had been hell for Piers. Usually he was a good sleeper, able to grab the bit of rest where he could, but for some reason having the lanky mercenary in the seat right next to his had messed with his brain so badly he hadn’t slept a wink. The mix between mocking and flirting had been bad enough, throwing Piers for a loop, but then Jake had fallen asleep, and in his sleep slumped against Piers’ shoulder.

He’d _drooled_ on him. Piers thought it was probably on purpose.

So Piers really wasn’t at his best when he finally dragged himself off the plane and shouldered the duffel bag, following the others to a waiting car. They had set camp to a BSAA owned building, but they hadn’t operated for long in this part of the world so everything was kind of half-assed and half-done. When they arrived to their destination it was basically an old apartment complex, most of the rooms empty save for a few in the top floors that were crammed full of equipment and the bare necessities for comfort. 

He kept his complaints to himself, though. He’d dealt with worse. They set up camp in the biggest room that had a door right onto the rooftop, and Piers had a sneaking suspicion it was because Chris had started smoking again and could sneak outside whenever he needed a cigarette break. But he kept his mouth shut and didn’t ask questions about things that were none of his business. 

There was tension crackling in the air, all of them tired and on edge, and obviously worried for Sherry’s safety. Piers didn’t really know her personally, but he’d met her a few times and she’d always been really nice. And everyone else here? Was obviously a lot more involved than he was. Leon had saved Sherry’s life when she was just a kid, and they seemed to be really close. And anyone who was important to Leon was by extension important to Chris. 

And Jake? Of course he’d worry about his girlfriend. It’d take a raging asshole not to. He’d been the one who’d demanded on the whole rescue operation, apparently. So he probably was the one with the most on the line. 

Which became evident when Jake suddenly exploded at Leon. “Why are you so calm about this!? We need to get her out! Damn paperwork _never_ saved _anyone_!” He was gesturing at the papers and maps and blueprints strewn across what probably had been a dining room table at some point. Leon had been talking with Chris in low voices, planning something, until Jake had gotten tired of pacing the room. 

“Look, I want her out of there as much as you do,” Leon snarled back, his thus far perfect calm façade cracking for the first time. “And that is exactly why I’m not going to half-ass anything. We’re making a _plan_. We’re getting her out _alive_. And you will calm the hell down and do what you’re told if you want to be a part of this rescue op.”

For a moment Jake stared at Leon, and Leon stared right back at him. Neither of them moved, it felt like neither of them even breathed, before Jake was the first one to break the eye-contact and look away. “ _Fine_.” 

Piers just watched the exchange from the sidelines. Thank god someone put Jake in his place, for once.

*

Logically Jake knew that a plan was important. Especially when he wasn’t really accustomed to anything like this. He’d been the hired muscle for most of his life, the efficient killer and the lethal weapon to be used. He hadn’t been there to actually _save_ anyone. He hadn’t needed to be patient and hash out a plan, instead of rushing in with guns blazing. And while he had patience when the occasion called for it, this was different.

Jake had never cared about anyone like he cared about Sherry. She was family. She had saved him from himself, had turned the course of his life, and she deserved everything in return. Jake would, with no exaggeration, die for her if necessary. He’d never had siblings, but he suspected that if he had, this was how he might’ve felt about them. 

What helped the most was that Jake knew just how much Leon cared about Sherry too. And despite not knowing Leon very well, he trusted him. He’d seen how efficient the man was, had heard all about the things he’d survived and fought and won. And he knew that Sherry trusted Leon with everything she had. So if anyone had to be in charge, he was glad it was Leon. 

Still, the way things were, it left him with nothing to do. 

So Jake did what he usually did. He slumped onto one of the empty desks, leaned against the wall behind himself and waited. He’d found a tennis ball from the corner, although what it did there he had no idea – maybe it was left from the times when the place still used to be an apartment building. First he only threw it in the air a few centimeters and caught it again, but soon that became too mundane for him and he started aiming higher. 

Every single time the ball hit the ceiling it made a thump. Leon and Chris seemed to be so focused on their work that they didn’t notice, but Jake was well aware of the effect it had on the fourth person in the room. At first Piers had only glanced at his direction every time the sound resonated in the air, but soon he was already gritting his teeth, tensing in annoyance at every thump. 

Jake hid his grin. And waited for the explosion. 

“Could you stop that!?” 

There it was. Piers had stepped closer, anger glinting in his eyes as he stared Jake down. Jake was well aware how infuriating he was being but he arched an eyebrow, held the eye contact and threw the ball again. 

What he wasn’t prepared for was how quickly Piers snatched the ball from midair, easily tossing it into the garbage bin. “Stop acting like a fucking child,” he grumbled, still obviously agitated. 

Why the hell did he have such kissable lips, though? Even when they were twisted into a frown like now, Jake couldn’t help but glance at them over and over. Briefly Jake wondered what his chances were to get Piers agree to a quickie in the back room, but he discarded the idea. Judging by everything Piers was stuck up and about as by-the-book as they came, there was no chance he’d be up for anything as _unprofessional_ as that. 

“What are you _really_ doing here?” Jake grumbled, annoyed by how affected he was by a pretty face. “The way I see it, all you’re good for is entertainment.” Damnit, he should be better than that, think with his upstairs brain instead. But here he was, attracted to the point of irritation. He crossed his arms over his chest, hoping he seemed as nonchalant and disinterested as he was aiming for. There was no way in hell he would share what he’d just been thinking about. 

Immediately Piers took a step forward, anger flashing in his eyes as he burst out a “Watch it!” He didn’t get any further before Chris shot an arm out and placed a palm on his chest to stop him. There was a wordless exchange between them, and quickly Piers gave up with a huff, spinning around until his back was turned to Jake. 

What a nice back it was, Jake thought distantly. His mood was souring rapidly, and the silent exchange hadn’t exactly helped it along either. What did Redfield have that he didn’t? Except for the bulky muscles. And authority. And fucking hell, why was he suddenly comparing himself to a random jarhead? He shouldn’t give a shit about this. 

Jake could be honest with himself, though. He was jealous. He wanted to get his hands on Piers, and it seemed like he’d been beaten to it. For a while he was stewing in his own anger and disappointment, cursing all of BSAA into hell and back. 

Then, completely by accident, he noticed something. 

Redfield placed a palm on Kennedy’s waist, allowing the touch to linger for a moment. It was such a small thing, something that you’d miss if you weren’t looking, but Jake was so accustomed to being aware of his surroundings that his attention zeroed in on it immediately. It was an innocent enough gesture, a fleeting touch that didn't hold much weight on its own. But it was Leon’s reaction to it that made Jake pay even closer attention; the man smiled. And not just any smile, but something so soft and content that it made Jake almost feel like he was intruding on a private moment.

Well this made things interesting.

From then on, Jake started to pay extra close attention to the way his companions were with each other. He didn’t say a word, only sat on the edge of the table with his toes brushing the ground, his arms crossed over his chest. No one expected him to participate in any of the idle chitchat, _thankfully_ , so he could just pretend he was disinterested in everything around himself while cataloguing all the minute details.

There was nothing big, no glaring signs, but he did notice a ton of small things that kept on adding up. There were brief touches not only from Redfield to Kennedy but the other way around, too. There were quick private smiles and traded glances that seemed to speak more than words could. And probably the most revealing thing was how they seemed to communicate in only looks and half-sentences, understanding each other from the smallest of cues.

Fucking hell. There was no way on earth those two weren’t a thing. By any standards they were as good as married, if they were knit together this perfectly.

So there _wasn’t_ anything going on between the hunky Captain and his unfairly attractive subordinate? Jake couldn’t deny he was glad if that was the case. The longer they spent together the more he wanted to shut Piers up every time he spoke, preferably by occupying his mouth with something else instead. Then again, somehow, he almost felt bad for Piers. It was never fun to live with an unrequited crush, and since Redfield was so obviously taken...

Well, maybe he could help Piers get his mind off that. In various creative ways. Various creative positions. Immediately his mood brightened and he couldn’t help but to laugh at himself as he realized how deep in the gutter his mind had suddenly slipped, and of course the object of his... objectification, really, noticed it immediately.

“What's so funny?” Piers frowned at him, looking as disapproving as always, and damn if that hadn't been such a good look on him Jake would've been much more annoyed.

“Trust me, you don’t want to know,” Jake laughed, but then changed his mind. Testing the waters, he winked at the other man, lifted an eyebrow suggestively as he made a clear show out of checking him out, allowed his gaze to linger. “Unless you’re less uptight than you seem?” Okay maybe that wasn’t his most stellar, awesome flirting but hey, he was rusty, who could expect him to pull this off smoothly. Thankfully he now had a target for his attention. He could only get better with practice.

At least a gorgeous blush immediately rose to Piers’ face, and that alone was enough of a reward. “You know nothing about me,” Piers replied, and despite the clear annoyance there was a waver in his voice, something that Jake immediately filed away into his mental folder of ‘interesting facts’. Maybe it was to hide his embarrassment, maybe to just buy some time, but Piers turned away, once again giving Jake a perfect view to his backside. 

“That’s a lie,” Jake drawled lowly, his gaze shamelessly dropping down, “I know you’ve got a pretty fantastic ass.”

Piers spluttered, surprised. He spun around until they were facing each other again, but that was all. Once, and twice, he opened his mouth to say something but nothing came of it, as he seemed to be at a loss of words. Eventually he just marched off, leaving Jake to follow his exit with his gaze.

*

Time passed by so slow that every minute felt like an hour. Everyone was beginning to be more and more on edge, their nerves fraying even if they all reacted to it in different ways. For Leon, frustration seemed to only enhance his focus, made him all the more determined to power through everything to get to the outcome he wanted. Piers got snappier, easier to annoy, and he was visibly holding himself back almost every time Jake as much as opened his mouth.

For Chris, the current stress relief seemed to be smoking. He’d already gotten through almost an entire pack of cigarettes, and Leon didn’t look exactly pleased when he reached for it again. He followed the man outside anyway, keeping him company while he smoked yet another one. Maybe he needed the break, too, even though he was unwilling to admit that.

Jake watched them through the small window for a while. They weren’t even standing very close: Leon was leaning back against the railing, his hands in his pockets, while Chris stood a few steps away, carefully blowing the smoke to the opposite direction. And yet everything about their body language spoke of familiarity, to the point that Jake almost wanted to laugh at himself for not noticing it immediately. 

Shrugging, Jake let them have their privacy. The silence in the room stretched on for longer than it had for the entire time they’d been there, and somehow that served to just make Jake even more restless. At the far end of the room, Piers was decidedly not looking at him, as if he could pretend Jake didn’t exist. 

“So how long have those two been a thing?” Jake asked, just to have something to say. He truly wasn’t aiming for an argument this time, wasn’t trying to rile Piers up on purpose or to get on his nerves. Somehow he seemed to have that effect automatically, though, as immediately irritation flashed over Piers’ face. 

“None of your business,” Piers answered curtly. He didn’t even look up from where he was studiously cleaning his gun, but there was a telltale flush creeping up his neck. Hell, Jake thought, he probably hated how easily he reacted involuntarily like that. It was kind of adorable. 

Grinning, Jake decided that it was as good a time as any to tease. Just a little. To pass the time. “Oooh, you don’t _know_!” he goaded gleefully. This time he was aiming for a reaction, but to his surprise none came. Piers was really full of surprises, it seemed.

Piers just shrugged. “It’s none of _my_ business either.” 

“So you really are just the hired help and not actual friends with them?” Jake asked, unable to deter his curiosity. 

“What’s it to you?” This time the irritation ghosted over Piers’ face only briefly, before he looked at Jake, _really_ looked at him. As if he was trying to assess him. Somehow Jake must’ve passed the inspection, as after a beat Piers went on. “Not all friendships are based on knowing every little detail. Or are you trying to say you know _everything_ about all of your friends?”

“Don’t really have any,” Jake shrugged, unbothered. He’d lived so long without any real home, going from one place to another with every mission he got, it hadn’t exactly been fruitful ground for steady friendships. Or relationships, for that matter. But he’d gotten used to being a lone wolf. And besides he had Sherry now, and in a way by extension some of her closest friends. “Except for Sherry,” he added, in the name of honesty, “but that’s different.”

That’s as far as their civil conversation got. Suddenly the mellow mood shifted, and Piers was visibly shutting in on himself. He didn’t even reply anything but instead went right back to ignoring Jake, refusing to even glance at him anymore. 

Anger flared up in Jake at that. What the hell was Piers’ problem? What did he do wrong _this time_? It had been a perfectly pleasant conversation, and then suddenly everything had changed. Determined to do something about it, Jake jumped to his feet, but before he could get a single word out the door clicked open, interrupting him. 

He only caught the tail end of the conversation Chris and Leon had been having, but it almost seemed like they’d been arguing about something too. Maybe Jake was just projecting, but there was a tense aura around them, something that had not been there earlier. 

Despite that, Leon easily placed his hand on Chris’ shoulder, giving it a small and affectionate squeeze as he spoke. “I’m going to go follow up on a lead. It shouldn’t take long, expect me back in an hour, tops.” 

Chris didn’t say a word, even though his mouth was pinched to a hard line. He did lean a little into the touch, not even attempting to shy away from it. Apparently whatever they’d disagreed about wasn’t enough for either to hold grudges. There was a tinge of jealousy in Jake’s chest, as he’d never experienced anything even close to that, but he brushed it off and instead took a step closer. 

“I’m coming with you, hero,” he started, and immediately all the focus was on him. “Look, I’m coming, whether you want it or not. I’m not going to just sit here useless.” Maybe getting out of here was exactly what he needed, what would clear his head enough to calm his temper, too. Besides he meant it, he didn’t want to be useless. Not when so much was at stake. 

For a moment Leon just looked at him, before glancing at Chris as if asking for confirmation. They seemed to be having one of those wordless conversations, but then Chris shrugged a little, and Leon took it as all the answer he needed. He nodded curtly at Jake. “Fine. We’re going. Now.”

*

They had known for long enough for Piers to immediately notice how upset Chris was. His first instinct was to ask, but he held back, as the years had also taught him that Chris would only talk about things when he felt like he was ready, not under coercion or badgering. Besides, it really was none of his business. If it didn’t pertain to the mission at hand, there was no obligation for Chris to tell him right now.

Yet Piers couldn’t help but be a little worried anyway. In addition to that he was annoyed that Jake had gotten to go along, to make himself useful, while he was stuck here waiting. The mere thought of that caused his temper to flare up and he huffed, bursting out “Why do we have to work with that asshole? I don’t trust him.”

Chris blinked at him, before understanding seemed to dawn on him and he realized who the words were referring to. “You know I usually trust your gut,” he said, giving Piers a faint half-smile, “but he’s been nothing but reliable. He wants Sherry to be safe as much as anyone.” It made sense, even if one didn’t want to admit to that, and it was a solid argument in itself. But Chris still added, decisively “And Leon trusts him.” 

At that, Piers already knew he’d lost, but weakly he still argued. “He’s still a mercenary. He’s just in it for his own gain.” It wasn’t the best of arguments but it was the best he could offer. He wasn’t willing to explain how having the man around was making him uncomfortable. Not because of the constant flirting, even, but because of how much he was beginning to _enjoy_ it. He wasn’t supposed to. It was _wrong_. Jake was taken, no matter how much he seemed to enjoy this weird push-and-pull between them, and Piers had to remember that. And respect that. 

“Maybe,” Chris admitted. The look he gave Piers was long, searching, like he wanted to ask something but in the end he changed his mind much to Piers’ relief. Instead he clapped Piers on the shoulder, giving him a quick, encouraging smile. “But right now his interests align with ours. Just give him the benefit of the doubt, okay. Maybe he’ll turn out to be a valuable asset.” 

As much as it pained him to give in, Piers nodded. “Fine.”

*

There was no talking as Jake followed Leon along the narrow alleyways in the dark, and he was grateful for that. He didn’t ask where they were headed, as he had a feeling that he wouldn’t have gotten an answer even if he had. He was curious to see how it played out. What he didn’t expect was how suddenly there was a whoosh of air next to them, someone landing with a thump into the shadows. “What the h–”

Quickly Leon shot out a hand to grab Jake’s elbow, stopping him from going in. He was tense, eyes trained into the darkness as he waited. Soon enough a smooth voice resonated in the air, sultry and almost seductive in its tone. “Hello, Leon. Long time no see.”

A woman stepped into light, and immediately Jake recognized who it was. He couldn’t stop himself before he spoke out loud. “Ada.” Not that it mattered, really, as no one reacted in any way to him. Leon didn’t even glance at him, only let his hand drop as he was certain that Jake wasn’t going to charge in. 

Ada ignored Jake entirely as well, only having eyes for Leon. “It’s been too long,” she practically purred, eyeing him from head to toe as if to see if he’d changed ever since they last met. “You’ve been no fun ever since you… settled down.”

“What can I say, best decision of my life,” Leon answered, and although the words could’ve easily been joking and easygoing, they were kind of flat and emotionless as his expression didn’t even twitch. “What did you want to talk about?”

For the first time Ada glanced at Jake, but then her attention was back on Leon and she went on. “I’m here because you need my help.”

Leon huffed, an almost laugh. “And you don’t need mine?”

“Oh, Leon,” she laughed. “You know how it is. You and I, we both work solo. But sometimes… two pairs of hands is better than one. And you’ve got _experience_ with how effective I am.” She seemed to sense how her insinuations weren’t appreciated, because she just rolled her eyes and smirked lightly. “Where’s your sense of adventure?” She huffed. “Fine. They have something I want. And from what I’ve heard, they have some _one_ you want. You help me get mine, I help you get yours. Deal?”

“She’s screwing with us,” Jake burst out. Like hell he would trust Sherry’s life on this woman and her schemes. Like _hell_. He’d rather go in there blind with guns blazing than trust a single word coming out of Ada’s mouth. “ _Don’t_.”

Leon didn’t even look at him. Instead he held eye-contact with Ada, giving a light nod. “Deal.”

“Excellent.” Ada’s face morphed into a smile, one that looked almost genuine. “I’ll let you break the news to your hired muscle. Expect me tonight.” She gave a little wave, turning around as if showing how she had no worries that they’d shoot her in the back. She waltzed away, leaving the two standing there in the dim streetlights. 

“What the hell was that?” Jake demanded immediately, hurrying to keep up with Leon who had already turned around and started to march back. 

“Our best shot at getting Sherry back unharmed,” Leon snapped, in a tone that clearly left no room for arguments. “If you don’t like it, you’re welcome to go back home.”

A part of Jake wanted to argue but grudgingly he also had to admit that Leon usually seemed to know what he was doing. So he bit his tongue and told himself that things would turn out alright. He wasn’t above working with Ada for moral reasons, he just didn’t trust her, had a gut feeling that she was going to turn around and double-cross them if it earned her half a dollar. 

The walk back was silent again, but Leon seemed almost relieved now for some reason. Jake took it as a good sign, and decided not to question. So instead he blurted out the first thing in his mind, maybe to get something else to think about, maybe just to satisfy his curiosity. Maybe he could make Leon squirm a little, see that perfect composure crack a little. 

They hadn’t spent a lot of time together even though they were both close with Sherry, so Jake wasn’t exactly certain what it was that made Leon tick. At least he could poke and try until he found something. “So, Agent Hero,” he drawled, breaking the silence between them. 

It seemed to take a second before Leon realized he was the one being addressed, but when he did he only inclined his head, looking back at Jake questioningly. “Hm?” 

“How long have you and Captain Muscle been sleeping together?” Jake flashed a smirk to go along with the question, already expecting a reaction similar to how Piers had told him to shut up and stop prying into things that weren’t his business. But as provocative as he’d thought he was, Jake was soon surprised to notice he’d been utterly wrong. 

Leon only huffed out a chuckle and shook his head, as if he couldn’t believe he was being asked this. “Nine years next August,” he answered easily, not even slowing in his stride. 

Jake’s eyes widened and for a second he didn’t know what to even say. “Uhm.” was his only, very intelligent reply, as he stared at the older man disbelievingly. He’d expected pretty much _anything_ except a direct answer to his question. Hell, being punched in the face would’ve ranked higher in his expectations than _this_.

Leon seemed to notice that, as he grinned at Jake. “It’s not a secret,” he added, amusement evident in his voice. “It has never been.”

Jake huffed, amused despite himself. Somehow Leon always managed to surprise him in a positive way, drawing more and more reluctant respect from Jake with pretty much every interaction they’d had. There was something about him that made it easy to get along with him, and Jake wasn’t above admitting to himself that he did respect the man’s skills, too. It also helped that he wasn’t such an uptight military type, unlike their two companions. 

As soon as his thoughts circled back to Piers, Jake could feel his mood sour. He’d been trying to flirt with the sniper ever since they’d _met_ , but none of it seemed to register. Or at least gain any of the reactions Jake had been hoping for. So he grumbled, letting his annoyance be heard. “Seemed like the Tiny Sniper didn’t get that memo.”

“Piers?” Leon asked, surprised. He shook his head minutely, something like fondness flitting over his features. “He’s just trying to be respectful. He’s a good kid.”

“Stuck up and annoying, more like,” Jake argued half-heartedly. Maybe he’d just have to kick the flirting up a notch, make it more obvious. 

“He’ll grow on you,” Leon promised, and even though he was obviously laughing at Jake, Jake couldn’t bring himself to be offended.

*

“Ada Wong?” Chris said the name like it was a curse. It made Jake curious as hell, as he was now well aware of what had happened in China and before China, and how it hadn’t actually been Ada to cause all of those things Chris had blamed her for. Still it seemed like even now Chris hated the woman with a burning passion. Yet it wasn’t like Jake could just interrupt and ask what it was, so he held his tongue.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you it was her,” Leon said, and one could see from his eyes that he was genuinely sorry. At the same time, one could see from the stubborn set of his jaw that he would do it again, if he’d get a do-over. “You know how you get around her. And how she gets around you. I wanted things to stay civil for once.” 

Chris apparently did know, as he didn’t argue. He looked sort of thunderous, but nodded curtly anyway.

“She’s got a way to get inside of the laboratory,” Leon went on after a short pause, leaning over the table where the partial blueprints were spread out. “This place, that’s marked down as a root cellar of some sort, has been expanded and apparently she knows the layout. Sneaking in always trumps open attack, we’ve got much better chance that way.”

“I don’t believe for a second she’s here because she wants to be helpful,” Jake cut in, ignoring the annoyed glare he got from Leon for his efforts. “And I don’t think we should trust her.”

For once Piers seemed to immediately agree with him, as he stepped closer, nodding towards him. “What he said. She has her own agenda, she’s just using us to get what she wants. She’s untrustworthy. She’s a me–” he glanced towards Jake and swallowed the rest of the sentence, but Jake for once decided not to take the opportunity. 

“See? The vertically challenged one agrees with me,” Jake pointed out, carefully hiding his smirk as Piers immediately made an indignant sound in the back of his throat. 

Leon sighed. “Look, she’s our best bet. She’s been in there before. She knows the laboratory. And she has her own agenda, no doubt, but she has no reason to double cross us. She wants what’s in there as badly as we do.” He glanced towards Chris, a hint of something like nervousness flashing in his eyes. “We go way back. I don’t think she wants me dead, so I’ll go with her. It’s the safest bet. I doubt she’d take anyone else in, anyway.”

For the duration of the conversation Chris had been listening quietly, but now he spoke up. “Leon,” he nodded towards the door solemnly, “a word? Alone?”

Leon seemed to know where this was going because he closed his eyes for a second, a sigh falling from him. Then he only glanced towards Piers and Jake, before nodding his head and silently following the older man into the next room. 

The door shut silently behind them, and Leon leaned back against it. “Chris…” he started softly, but didn’t get any further than that.

There was a deep frown on Chris’ face, and it only seemed to deepen as he met Leon’s gaze with his own. “You know I don’t like it when you work with her. I don’t trust her.” He stepped closer, until there was only a palm’s width between their chests, and gently cupped the side of Leon’s neck in his warm palm. “She’s bad news. She’s screwed you over in the past, and I _can’t_ have anything happen to you.”

“I know,” Leon smiled faintly, allowing himself to relax into the touch and the shared closeness. This was a discussion they’d had before, and he understood Chris’ point of view. He even agreed with it, to a degree. But there were some things that were more important than being overly careful. Some _people_ who were more important. “But it’s Sherry. I’d do anything for her, you know that. I _need to_ get her safe.”

Chris nodded. He was obviously resigned, knew better than to argue. “I know, and I get that.” He even managed a faint smile, nothing but affection and worry in his eyes, as he ran the pad of his thumb over Leon’s jawline. “Just watch your back. I need _you_ to be safe.”

“I’ll be careful,” Leon promised, bringing his hand up to rest it on Chris’ forearm. “I promise.”

“If she lets you, take Piers with you. It’s always good to have someone you can trust,” Chris said, and even tried to smile a little. “We both know she won’t let me tag along.”

“I can take care of myself,” Leon started, but then relented in the face of the look Chris gave him. “Fine. If she agrees to it, I’ll take him along. He’s solid backup.”

Finally Chris’ smile turned into something genuine. “Thank you.”

*

What had probably only been a few minutes felt like hours, if one asked Piers, now that he’d been forced to wait in the way too small room alone with Jake. He had crossed his arms defensively over his chest, feigning disinterest in anything and everything around him.

Jake was sitting on the table, leaning back against the wall behind it, one foot propped up and the other swinging close to the floor. He seemed to be incapable of sitting in actual chairs, always instead lounging on tables or whatever flat surface he could find. Even that managed to be annoying. What was _most annoying_ was how despite his efforts Piers couldn’t hold back from stealing quick glances at those long legs, at the wide set of shoulders, noticing all of the little details about Jake that he had managed to ignore up until now. 

Unwillingly Piers had to concede that he found Jake attractive. He was drawn to him, and it got worse the more he got to know him. There was something unfairly charming about Jake, although Piers wouldn’t have admitted to that even under the threat of death. There were a million good reasons to keep his distance. The biggest of which was Jake’s obvious relationship status. Piers didn’t exactly know Sherry well, had only met her a handful of times, but she didn’t deserve to be double-crossed and cheated on. Piers refused to be a part of something like that, regardless of his own persistent, and frankly infuriating, feelings. 

Suddenly Piers was pulled back from his thoughts when Jake whistled lowly, grinning at him when he gained his attention. “Did you get that, kid?” Jake asked, throwing the paper weight he’d been toying with in the air and catching it easily. 

No, Piers certainly had not gotten any of what had been said. He had been so lost in his own thoughts and so focused on being annoyed by the other man’s sheer presence, that he hadn’t caught a single word. So he latched on to the ‘kid’, scrunching up his nose disapprovingly. “I’m _older than you_.” 

That didn’t seem to bother Jake in the slightest as he just shrugged. “But you’re smaller.”

Before he could talk himself out of it, Piers fired back, “Not in any way that matters.”

Jake’s eyes widened, soon followed by a triumphant grin that spread over his face. “Ohhoh, look! It can _joke_!” He looked so utterly delighted that it was practically infectious, the excitement radiating off him in waves. 

Piers couldn’t entirely hold back his answering grin, and despite his best efforts he could feel himself blushing. He tried to fight it down, but he knew already then that it was a losing battle. Only then he noticed Leon, who had appeared in the doorway. Immediately the blush intensified, and Piers wanted nothing more than to sink into the ground and die of his embarrassment. 

“I can let you go back to your flirting,” Leon said, in what at first glance seemed to be earnestly, but there already were hints of a smile tugging at his lips, belying his amusement. 

“No, sir,” Piers answered automatically, “that won’t be necessary.” Stubbornly he ignored the way Jake was cackling at him. _Stop that_ , he reminded himself, _be professional_. The mere notion of indulging in flirting with the infuriating mercenary was _absurd_ , to say the least. Nothing good could come of it. So Piers just needed to get a grip. Snap out of it. Stop being such an easy target. 

Then Chris pushed his way into the room, his palm lingering on Leon’s shoulder as he made him move aside a little. “What’s going on in here?” he asked, looking curiously at the weird stand-off. 

“Nothing,” Piers answered quickly, hoping that Jake would let it drop. Leon, he trusted. They knew each other well enough, and Leon wouldn’t subject him to that kind of mortification. Jake though? He was a wild card. Anything could happen. And Piers barely managed to throw a glare at him to make him shut up before all of his worst nightmares came true. 

“Oh, I wouldn’t call it nothing,” Jake drawled, a grin blossoming on his face, “c’mon, Tiny Sniper. Comparing dick sizes is _at least_ equal to second base.”

Horrified, Piers spun around to look at Jake. “What the _fuck_ is _wrong_ with you!?” For a split second he was torn between wanting to explain how he would never be unprofessional enough for something like that and wanting to just punch that stupid smirk off Jake’s face. He couldn’t do either of those, and suddenly he _needed_ to get out of there. 

Surprised, all three of his companions stared after him as he stormed out onto the roof, without a glance backwards. Jake was the first to move, quick on his feet as he swore out loud. He didn’t spare a single word to anyone, but instead followed Piers outside, clearly determined. 

Chris made a move to follow them, but Leon reached out and easily caught the other man’s wrist. “C’mon, let them be. This is something they have to work out between the two of them, don’t you think?” He was watching the two outside through the small windowpane, and they seemed to be still yelling at each other by the looks of it. 

Confused, Chris glanced at the scene outside, then back at Leon. “What do you mean?”

That tore Leon’s attention away from the argument, and he arched both eyebrows at Chris. “Really, Chris? That doesn’t look familiar to you at all?” Vaguely he nodded back towards the window. That only got him an even more confused frown from Chris, and with a pointed look Leon went on. “Look at them, and tell me you don’t see us. Like, ten years ago? I kept trying to flirt with you and you kept getting angry at me because you didn’t know how else to react.”

Immediately the confusion morphed to surprise. “You really think it’s _that_?”

“Wanna bet?” Leon asked, with a cocky grin, obviously confident in his assessment. 

“Against you?” Chris laughed, shaking his head a little. “Never.” It may have taken him years, but he had learned eventually that if Leon was certain about something, he tended to be right at least nine times out of ten. Those weren’t exactly odds he wanted to try. Still vaguely worried, he glanced outside, but neither Piers nor Jake was anywhere to be seen. Chris sighed. “Were we really that bad?”

Laughing, Leon patted him on the shoulder, before slipping an arm around him in a quick hug. “Ask Claire. She still complains about it sometimes.”

“I think I’d rather not,” Chris chuckled.

*

The door slammed behind Piers and suddenly he was thankful that it was so easy to get out on the rooftop. The wind had picked up outside, maybe the cold harsh storm was exactly what he needed to calm himself down properly.

Logically he knew that the comment – even if it had been true instead of a shameless lie – was something innocent enough that it wouldn’t do jack shit to what either Chris or Leon thought of him. Yet he had worked all his life trying to be the best possible soldier, the best version of himself. Had fought tooth and nail trying to prove his worth, how professional he was. And he didn’t need some airheaded mercenary fucking things up for him. 

What the hell was it that made it so easy for Jake to get under his skin? Somehow even the smallest of remarks blew out of proportion. 

Frustrated, Piers ran his fingers through his hair, closed his eyes and leaned against the railing. He only got in one single deep breath before the door clicked again, open and shut, and for a second Piers hoped against everything that it was Chris or Leon coming after him instead of whom he dreaded. 

Of course he couldn’t have such luck. The second he opened his eyes he was met with a thunderous expression, and one very angry mercenary. 

“What was that about?” Jake demanded as soon as the door had properly closed behind him, already striding forward so that he closed the small space between them in record time. “Can’t you take a fucking _joke_?” He wasn’t even entirely sure why he was so bothered by a random jarhead being mad at him, no matter how good looking they were. But for some reason it felt like the world’s most pressing problem right now, having Piers look at him like he was something nasty he’d scraped off the bottom of his shoe. 

“Can’t _you_ be _respectful_ for once in your life,” Piers answered, even though the words were barely audible in the wind. He wasn’t even sure if he’d meant them to be heard. 

Jake huffed. “Respectful of what? Look, I bet that Cap of yours has told a million raunchier jokes in his life, it’s not like he’s a delicate flower you need to protect at all times.” The words were almost an explanation, nearly apologetic in tone, but then his bitterness got the best of him and he added before thinking, “Although what the hell do I know, maybe he is.”

As always, that was a sore spot for Piers. Immediately he was up in arms in his captain’s defense, ready to fight anyone who said even one disrespectful thing about him. “Don’t talk about the Captain like that!”

Honestly, Jake had never been a part of a team like Piers was, so he didn’t exactly know how it was. Could be that the protectiveness stemmed from respect, and maybe Piers was like that about all of his teammates, and Jake just hadn’t gotten the chance to witness that. Then again, Jake was ninety-five percent certain that Piers had some kind of a crush on the Redfield guy. For some reason the thought of that flared up the anger again, made Jake spit out a curse. 

“What!? Why are you so in love with Captain Asshole there?” Jake gestured vaguely towards the door. If he hadn’t been so angry he might’ve tried to keep his voice down better, aware of the fact that both Chris and Leon were both right inside and who knew how well sounds carried through the walls here. At least there was the howling wind around them, hopefully that’d mask some of it. 

Annoyed, Piers growled at him, turning his back to Jake. “Stop talking, will you.” Everything about Jake got on his nerves, it seemed. And these insinuations? They weren’t even right. Piers had gotten over his sad little crush on his captain already years ago, when he’d realized it had been more idolizing, closer to hero worship than anything else. Besides he respected Agent Kennedy as much as Captain Redfield, and he was truly happy for the two of them. 

Piers was just envious; he wanted something like that for himself. He’d been alone for so long that he was beginning to think that was all that there was in the cards for him, that he’d never get to enjoy the kind of companionship he witnessed whenever he saw Chris and Leon work together. 

Somehow Jake seemed to pick up on that, but of course he interpreted it differently, read it wrong and jumped to conclusions. “You’re _jealous_ , aren’t you?” Jake barked out, immediately setting out to taunt the other man the best he could. “I bet you’re real disappointed that Agent Hero there managed to snatch Captain Amazing away before you got the chance, aren’t you?” Anger was sparking in his eyes, his mouth twisted to a frown. 

It pissed Piers off even further. “Shut your mouth.” He didn’t feel like correcting the false assumptions, but he didn’t want to stand here listening to them, either.

Jake laughed, the sound bitter and ugly, and he didn’t ease up. Instead he pressed on, trying to poke where it hurt, aiming his words to cause maximum damage. “That why you’re here, too? To impress the hot older officer? I knew you were a sad little puppy following him around but I had no idea just _how_ sad!” He knew he was taking out his own frustrations, being really petty, but hell, he couldn’t stop himself.

“Stop it!” Piers finally snapped, rounding in on Jake. “Not another word or I swear to God I’ll–”

“Do you think about him when you’re alone at night, when you touch y–”

Before he could think about it, Piers punched Jake in the face. Hard. It left his knuckles aching, and one look already confirmed that he’d at least split Jake’s lip, but he was so angry he couldn’t even regret it.

“You son of a–” Jake grabbed the front of Piers’ shirt and yanked him in, until they were nose to nose, only centimeters between them. His first instinct was to kick his ass, to start a fight and take all of the frustrations out by getting into a proper fist fight. There was fire in Piers’ eyes, defiant set to his jaw as he stared Jake down, and neither of them was willing to back an inch. Something made Jake change his mind, and he didn’t go for the instinctive punch.

Instead he smashed their mouths together. 

It was hard and unrelenting, almost too harsh at first, but neither of them was willing to be the one to break it. Jake pushed forward, backing Piers against the wall and pinning him there, just so that he could tilt his head and deepen the kiss further. He felt hands on his chest and for a second he expected to be pushed off, expected to be punched again, but that never happened. Piers’ fingers traced up his chest to his shoulders, gripping tight, hard enough to probably leave finger-shaped bruises behind. 

Encouraged by the reaction Jake pressed forward, used his entire bodyweight to press Piers against the rough concrete. He dared to move his hands too, cupped Piers’ neck in his right palm and slid the left down, until he was holding on to Piers’ hip. It seemed to break the last of the resistance and Piers almost whined into the kiss as he pushed for more, demanded to be kissed harder. 

It was probably the hottest thing Jake had ever experienced. And he’d seen and done a lot of things. 

Tentatively he shifted a little, pressed their hips together, delighted in the way it drew shudders from them both. Clearly they were enjoying this equally much, their bodies on the same page even if they argued about pretty much everything and never saw eye-to-eye otherwise. 

Jake was just about to take the next step forward and slide his hand underneath Piers’ shirt when a door slammed somewhere close. In a split second they jumped apart, both of them panting as they looked around wildly, trying to spot what had caused the sound. 

There was nothing. 

Jake swallowed, turning to look at Piers. His heart was still hammering in his chest, his mind reeling, and he just wanted to go back to kissing. Especially with the way Piers was right now, mussed up, lips kiss-bruised and inviting. Something about the way Piers was looking at him told him that wasn’t an option, though. Nevertheless he stepped forward, reached out a hand in an attempt to somehow salvage the moment. “I’m–”

Quickly Piers dodged the touch, anger flashing in his eyes again as he spat out a “I’m going back inside.” He marched off as quickly as he could, slammed the door shut behind himself. 

Jake stood still in the cold night air for a good while, trying to force himself to calm down. Even the icy wind around him didn’t help much, as he could still feel Piers’ body against his, felt those fingers on his shoulders and the hot mouth on his own. Fucking hell. He’d never in his life yearned for another human being like this.

Shit. He was so screwed.

*

When Jake stepped back inside, he immediately noticed that there was a new person added to the group. Ada hadn’t wasted time, and was already standing there next to the big table, looking at the maps and papers strewn across it as if they amused her and served little to no real purpose. She only spared a quick glance at Jake, not really acknowledging his presence. “So is this everyone?” she asked, stepping a bit to the side until she was standing next to Leon.

“Just get to the point,” Chris almost snapped from where he was standing on the other side of Leon, and as if on instinct he mirrored the movement: as Ada stepped closer on her side, he did the same on his. 

He was ignored. Everyone else was, really, as it seemed like Ada pretended that there was no one else there but herself and Leon. Every time she spoke she was clearly addressing him. “Most of the guards in there are infected, but they’re still capable of functioning and intelligent enough to pass as mostly normal humans.” She arched one perfect eyebrow, looking at Leon. “Just like the plaga. You know how it was.”

Immediately Chris glowered at her disapprovingly. He was probably thinking he was more subtle than he actually was. Even to an outsider this was such a weird stand-off. Every time Ada said something even remotely suggestive, Chris would stare her down with a look that was downright murderous. And whenever Chris as much as spoke, Ada looked like she would rather be anywhere else than listening to him. 

Anyone could see how attractive Kennedy was, but this? This was all kinds of ridiculous. Leon looked like he was a hundred percent done with the two. It amused Jake enough that he forgot what had happened outside mere minutes ago, and he shifted closer to nudge Piers with his elbow. “Do you see how ridiculous they are?” he asked in a low murmur. All he got as a response was a glare, though, and Piers stepped further away as if he’d been burned. 

Even as Ada went through the plan, she kept it vague enough that no one could really figure out the specifics. Clever of her, to make sure she was essential. 

“Leon will be with me,” Ada finished off with a smile, looking almost triumphantly at Chris. “And we will enter the building from the air ducts on the eastside roof. The rest of you will make sure you clear out the escape path. With any luck, you’ll be the ones faced with most of the resistance, but Leon? I trust your aim is as good as ever?” 

“I don’t want you two alone in there. Take Piers with you,” Chris cut in before Leon could reply anything to the question. “He’s good.” 

For a second, Ada looked like she was considering it. She gave Piers an once-over, as if she could measure his skills from how he looked alone. “He does look like he can be quiet if he wants to,” she said, and it almost sounded like a compliment coming from her. Then she pursed her lips and shook her head. “But no. I’m only bringing in Leon. No one else. More people is always more noise.”

The crucial mistake had probably already been having Chris suggest it, because Ada seemed to go out of her way to contradict everything he said. And vice versa, to be fair. Even now Chris already took a step forward, opened his mouth to argue, when Leon quickly stopped him by physically holding him back. Leon’s fingers on his bicep seemed to help Chris reel himself in, at least somewhat, and he said nothing. 

Leon was the one who met Ada’s gaze, nodding at her. “Fine. We’re doing it your way.”

*

If there had been awkward moments before, the tension had been nothing compared to how it multiplied when they headed off accompanied by Ada. It was like she alone could put everyone on edge, except herself, as she seemed as collected as ever. Even a little amused, as usual, as if everything was beneath her. It was the kind of confidence Jake could’ve found attractive, under other circumstances.

For now, he was just glad they were on the move, _finally_. Worry had been gnawing at his insides ever since he’d found out that Sherry had been taken, and he was just hoping with all of his might that she was still alright. She was tough, she’d survived so much, she would pull through this time too. 

That was at least what Jake kept repeating to himself. Over and over. 

They got to the rooftop easily enough undetected, and Ada just gave Chris one single stern look. “Get the job done,” she said curtly, “don’t disappoint _us_.” Then she was already gracefully sliding into one of the vents without as much as a glance back. Leon was about to follow, but he was stopped in his tracks when Chris called out to him. 

“Hey, Leon.” 

Leon froze in mid-movement, turning his head to look directly at the other man. He waited, like he had all the time in the world, although they all knew that the clock was ticking. 

Chris shrugged a little. “I’m– Just…” He made a vague little gesture, ending it with half a shrug. It was obvious there was more on his mind but he either couldn’t find the words or the words he did find were ones he wasn’t prepared to say in front of an audience. 

Whichever it was, Leon seemed to understand him even without words. “I know,” he smiled softly, and the expression was somehow so private that Jake felt compelled to turn away. He noticed he wasn’t the only one, Piers was standing a couple of steps from him and pretending like he wasn’t hearing or seeing any of this. 

“Be safe,” Chris said, barely audible, and then there was a rustling sound when Leon apparently followed Ada’s lead. 

It took a moment, but then Chris huffed out a laugh. “It’s safe to turn around, children.” Amusement was clear in his face when the two turned back to face him, and he shook his head at them. He didn’t comment on it any further though, but instead inclined his head towards the south side of the building. “Now let’s get to it. We’ve got a job to do.” 

His companions didn’t need to be told twice. 

They made quick work of the first corridors, and it was clear that they hadn’t been expected. Grudgingly even Jake had to admit they made quite a good team, all three of them. As much as Piers was ignoring him, when it came down to it he didn’t let that distract them from the mission. More than once he teamed up with Jake automatically as they picked the infected guards one by one.

Eventually they reached their destination. It was a room at a dead end, and Chris signaled for Piers to stay behind. “Watch my back,” he said, and it was all that he needed to give as instructions. He didn’t wait up, already slipping into the control room, which left Piers and Jake standing in the corridor. It joined another as a T, and in silent agreement they settled so that both directions were covered. Piers stayed upright, but Jake – true to himself – slumped down to a crouch, leaning his back against the wall.

Jake knew they didn’t exactly have much time for heart-to-hearts, but he’d gotten enough of the tension between them. He couldn’t handle it any longer, didn’t want to have Piers look at him with resentment like he did. So he took a deep breath, twiddled with his gun as if he could find the answers within the chamber or something equally dumb like that. Eventually he steeled himself and spoke up, quick, as if ripping off a plaster. “Look, I’m sorry. For what I said earlier.”

Surprised, Piers glanced at him, but quickly returned to staring around the corner into the distance, waiting for Chris to come back. “It’s fine,” he replied shortly, the words clipped and emotionless.

“It’s not,” Jake pressed. He could be equally as stubborn if need be. “I was being a dick.” He was beginning to think that his assessment hadn’t been as spot-on as he would’ve liked. Maybe it had been _him_ who was jealous, and maybe he had jumped to conclusions a little too hastily. 

Slowly Piers nodded, but he didn’t look back, barely even blinked as he kept his gaze directed forward. “You were.”

“I just…” Jake began but suddenly words escaped him. He huffed. He’d always been better as a solo operative, he wasn’t cut out for this dealing with people bullshit. After meeting Sherry something had softened in him, she had truly changed his life, and for the better. Yet it seemed that he wasn’t quite as good at this new life he’d tried to begin. Suddenly he missed Sherry so intensely it was like a big chunk of his chest had been carved out, only hollowness left in its wake. With a sigh he gave up. “Just forget it, okay. I said I’m sorry. I didn’t mean any of it.”

Anger flashed in Piers’ eyes as he again glanced quickly towards Jake. “I said it’s _fine_.” Everything about his voice spoke of the opposite, though. None of it was fine. 

So that’s when Jake decided to take the leap of faith. A sudden fit of bravery burst through him, and he spoke before he could second guess himself. “Except the kiss.”

This time Piers’ eyes widened in surprise, and he didn’t just glance towards Jake but openly stared at him, as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “What?”

“The kiss,” Jake repeated with a grin. His heartbeat racketed in his chest and he allowed himself to hope. “ _That_ I meant. I’d do it again.” 

The shock was evident not only in Piers’ expression but in his posture, in the way his grip on his rifle slackened and all of his attention was geared towards Jake. Piers just stared, mouth slightly open, at a loss for words, and all Jake wanted to do was to surge up and kiss him. He wanted to re-enact what they’d had on the roof, all of the raw, rough need that still got his blood pumping as he thought back to it. 

But he also wanted to just… brush his fingers over Piers’ pulse point and find out if his heartbeat picked up a notch too when they kissed. Sure he wanted to get naked and sweaty with the man, but at the same time he surprised himself with how intensely he wanted to just friggin’ _hold him_ like they were in some sort of a sappy romantic movie. 

Most of all, Jake wanted Piers to stop looking at him like he was a piece of shit barely worth his attention. 

He got none of that, though. Piers hadn’t even managed to formulate an answer when the door behind them clicked shut again, Chris slipping back into the corridor. “Now we’ve got eyes wherever they have security cameras,” he said, a smug grin flashing over his face, “let’s get the hell out of here.”

*

“How the hell did you not see that coming!?” Piers nearly yelled, before he could stop himself. At least they were outside by now and it wasn’t likely someone heard him, or that anyone would come after them. Still, he bit his tongue and when he spoke again it was considerably calmer than before. “How did you ever survive working solo, you careless p–”

“Sorry, love,” Jake smirked at him from where he was perched on a crate, sitting hunched forward so that Piers could clean up the large cut over his eyebrow. “I got distracted when you bent over. Can you blame me, with a view like that?”

The petname made Piers more uncomfortable than he could even describe, because he couldn’t help but like it as weird as that was. His traitorous heart did a little flip in his chest, and he bit the inside of his cheek in an attempt to get a hold of himself. “Shut up,” he retorted, knowing full well that it was a crappy comeback if anything. “Hold still and let me fix this.”

Piers stuffed his gloves into his pocket so that he could handle the adhesive of the bandage better. Carefully he applied the bandage to the disinfected cut on Jake’s temple, steadily trying to ignore the way he was being grinned at. Especially when Jake winked theatrically with “Are you going to kiss it better?”

Thankfully Piers didn’t have the time to respond before a noise drew their attention. Chris stood up from where he’d been perched over the small monitor a few paces away from them, making sure the feed worked properly. The amount of surveillance in the facility had been disappointing to say the least, and they hadn’t seen even a glimpse of Leon, Sherry or even Ada in the feed. Yet it was better than nothing, if they’d need to go back in. 

“They’re approaching,” Chris said slowly, eyes trained onto the little screen. Apparently they had finally gotten from the uncovered area into the main corridors, then. “C’mon. Let’s get to the rendezvous point.” He scooped up the equipment he’d strewn on the ground, and Piers took the hint and collected the first aid kit back together as well. 

Truth to be told, Piers was dreading that there’d be more flirting while they waited, as having Chris present didn’t seem to hinder Jake in the slightest. But for once luck was on his side and there was nothing, they didn’t even need to wait for long before they spotted two familiar figures advancing. Leon was grinning even though every step looked laborious, and Sherry mirrored the expression from where she was tucked under his arm. 

They looked like they’d gotten hit by a truck. Like the only thing that kept them upright was each other. And as soon as they were close enough Sherry greeted them with a bright and happy “I broke my arm. One of the guards threw me into a wall.” She didn’t seem too bothered by it, truth to be told. Of course there was the advanced healing she had, but even with that snapped bones would take longer to knit back together. 

“Oh Supergirl,” Jake sighed, happiness evident in his voice as he scooped her up into an embrace. “I’m happy to see you.” He seemed to be uncharacteristically gentle with her, but well, of course he’d give his girlfriend special treatment. Sherry only laughed, automatically teasing him about worrying. 

Piers didn’t really pay them attention anymore. He wasn’t keen on witnessing the happy reunion, and besides, Chris spoke up offering the perfect distraction. “Where’s Ada?” 

“She got what she wanted so she split,” Leon answered with a shrug, wincing a little at the movement. He took a couple of steps towards Piers, turning his attention on him. “Got any painkillers in the kit? I could use one. Or two. Or ten.”

Quickly Piers provided him with the pills from the first aid kit, and the following silence unfortunately meant he was back to listening in on the conversation between Jake and Sherry, as much as he didn’t want to. 

The two had finally detached from one another, and Sherry immediately made a distressed sound as she really saw Jake’s face. There was the cut above his eye, but his lip was still swollen and split from the punch Piers had thrown earlier. He did look kind of like he’d taken a beating, even with the way he was grinning as if there wasn’t a single care in the world. 

“What happened?” Sherry asked as she brought a hand up, gently brushing her thumb under Jake’s lip, close but still avoiding the cut not to make it worse. 

Jake only laughed, relieved and elated. “Oh it’s nothing.” He nodded his head towards Piers. “He punched me in the face.” Amusement was sparkling in his eyes, along with clear affection, and he didn’t even wait for a reply before he swept Sherry up into another hug, one that was even gentler than the one before, mindful of her broken arm and whatever other injuries she had. 

Quickly Piers turned his head away, in a desperate attempt to ignore them. Anything was better than intruding on such a tender moment. Especially when it felt like barbed wire was being wrapped around his insides. The mere mention of the punch he’d thrown made him think of what had followed, and guilt spread through him like cold water in his veins. 

Already then he had known, more than well, that it was wrong. Yet he had let Jake kiss him anyway. And now he couldn’t stop thinking of that kiss, of the fire it had sent through him, and that just kept on adding to the guilt. 

Something must’ve shown on his face, because Chris stepped next to him and placed a palm on his shoulder. “You alright?” he asked in a low voice, private enough so that the others probably didn’t notice anything. 

Piers didn’t know whether to be grateful, annoyed, or just plain embarrassed. He closed his eyes for a second, took a deep breath, and then tried his best to smile a little. It felt like a grimace more than anything, but maybe it looked more natural than it felt. “It’s fine. Sorry.” He needed to get a grip and get the job done and stop acting like a lovesick teenager. 

As soon as the word _lovesick_ crossed his mind he froze again, though, a lump in his throat and unshed tears burning in his eyes. _Way to fucking go, Nivans_ , he reprimanded himself, _always fall for the unattainable like an idiot._

Piers was quickly pulled from his thoughts when Leon stumbled next to him, and only thanks to his good reflexes Piers managed to catch him in the nick of time. Leon was slumped heavily against him, even though he was obviously trying to regain his footing, without much success. That was when Piers realized that his fingers had met something wet at Leon’s side. Carefully Piers kept an arm secured around Leon to keep him upright, as he raised his hand up to look at it. 

_Blood._

Everyone froze, their horrified gazes fixed on the bloody fingers. It took a second for Leon to realize everyone else had fallen silent, and another for him to realize what it was about. “It’s only a little stab wound. Guess they just wanted to _slice_ things up a bit.” There was no reaction, so after a second he added, weary. “What? Not funny?”

Chris’ face twitched as if he couldn’t decide whether to be angry or amused, and as annoyed as he was aiming to look he couldn’t hide the fondness. Easily he sidestepped Piers, crouching down enough so he could peel Leon’s shirt and vest up and take a look at the cut. “You’re still bleeding,” he said with a frown, “I’m going to take you to a hospital.”

Only barely Leon had managed to hold back a pained groan, biting his lip so hard it almost drew blood. “I’m _fine_ ,” he tried, even if it sounded weak and he was more than aware of that himself as well. “We need to go back, they’re developing a new strain of the virus and that _can not_ fall into wrong hands.” He was already out of breath after that, obviously in no fit to be going back into the building no matter what he wanted. 

“Hey, hey,” Chris pitched his voice low, so low that if Piers hadn’t been right next to them holding Leon up, he wouldn’t have heard him. “Please don’t argue. You’ve got to get properly patched up, Leon.” The way he said Leon’s name was like a prayer, like he was using every ounce of persuasion he had in him, just to ensure Leon wouldn’t insist on staying. 

Gently Chris brushed his fingers over Leon’s pale cheek, down to his neck. Either it was the touch or the blood loss, but Leon shivered a little, looking swayed. He still hadn’t given up, that much was evident, stubbornly thinking it was his job to get everything cleared up. 

Quickly Piers made his decision. “I’ll stay. Jake and I can deal with that,” he promised, not even thinking about his own problems for now, only focused on getting the job done and being as useful as he possibly could be. He only noticed he’d spoken louder when Jake looked at him, clearly surprised, but he did nothing to take back the statement. Leon was obviously out of commission for now, as was Sherry, and Chris could get the two of them back to safety. 

Both Chris and Leon turned to look at Piers, who could already feel himself flushing underneath the scrutiny. Yet he knew his own worth, knew that he could handle this, and as annoying as Jake could be he was good at his job, that much was obvious to anyone. The two of them could more than well take on a lab as small as this, and destroy all the viruses and samples they found inside.

The stare-off seemed to last forever, although it was only a few seconds. Finally Leon nodded in agreement, Chris breathed a huge sigh of relief, and Sherry launched into a rapid-fire explanation on what they could expect to find and where if they’d go inside the building. Like that it was settled. No turning back now.

*

“Well done, volunteering me for the job,” Jake said with a bright grin as soon as they were alone, and even went as far as to nudge Piers with his elbow. If he had been flirty – and goddamn _charming_ – before it was now a thousand times worse, as he seemed to be downright _giddy_ from the knowledge that Sherry was safe and out of harm’s way. He kept looking at Piers, too, in a way that made nervousness roll in Piers’ gut, almost to the point of nausea.

So maybe Piers was regretting his decision already. Just a little. “You’re free to go anytime you want. I can handle this,” he practically snapped, refusing to look Jake in the eye. At least he now had something to do as he double-checked everything was ready, from weapons to the first aid supplies. He wasn’t going to half-ass this, not when he’d promised he was taking care of it. 

“Oh, I believe you could,” Jake started, the grin on his face even widening. “If you ask me, you are the BSAA’s best _ass_ et.” 

The innuendo didn’t pass Piers by unnoticed, and he even gave Jake the courtesy of glancing up at him. Or, glaring, more like. Anger was easy, anger was familiar, and he could deal with anger much better than with the confusing mix of attraction and guilt and things he steadily refused to even name. “Shut up.” Not the most creative of answers, but oh well. 

The gleeful expression on Jake’s face died a little, making way to a frustrated eyeroll. “You’re really fucking stubborn, you know that?” The way he said it wasn’t even reproachful, it was …fond? That part must’ve been Piers’ imagination, and he shrugged it off immediately. Why the hell would Jake feel anything but animosity and reluctant camaraderie for him? 

The silence stretched on as Piers wasn’t willing to break it. He didn’t know what to say, anyway. There was no way he was going to even try to flirt back, not with how things were. And if he told Jake to shut up, well, it only lasted for a few minutes at a time apparently, before he was being hit on again. 

Unsurprisingly, Jake broke the silence just before they were about to get going. What was surprising, instead, was that it wasn’t another teasing remark or shameless flirting, but instead a heartfelt “Hey, thank you.” His voice was soft, a small and genuine quirk to his lips. There was nothing but honesty radiating from him. 

Somehow it punched down all the walls Piers had built around himself. “For what?”

“For helping get Sherry out of there,” Jake explained easily. The expression on his face turned even softer, endlessly caring, and it left no room for interpretation when it came to how he felt about her. “She means the world to me.”

 _Then why are you constantly flirting with me?_ Piers wanted to ask, wanted to yell at the other man. What got out instead was a gruff “Just doing my job.” and he marched off, electing to ignore the feelings just like he’d done all the time up until now. If he was lucky, after today he would never need to see Jake again in his entire life. It was a good thing, the best possible outcome, he told himself sternly when there was a traitorous twinge in his chest.

*

Already the first fifteen minutes proved that they worked well as a team, which surprised them both in equal measures. Piers was used to organized and controlled teamwork, one where everyone was on the same page and knew the rules and signals and protocol, and where everything worked seamlessly because of that. Jake was used to getting things done himself, and he didn’t give a rat’s ass about the proper protocol. Yet somehow they managed to quickly fall in step with each other.

The first floor was nearly empty, and it was only when they proceeded to the underground levels that they ran into more opposition. There were guards, some already half-mutated and some only on their way there, and it was so much like what they’d both seen in China that it felt like an eerie throwback. 

What was worse, there were traps. Only narrowly they managed to avoid falling down into a pit of spikes, just because they both heard the soft click of the trap being sprung and reflexively vaulted onto solid flooring and out of the harm’s way. Piers had barely managed to get on his feet when he successfully set off the next trap, a giant metal scythe cutting through the air just above his head, close enough to shave a few millimeters off his hair. 

If he’d been standing in his full height the blade would’ve firmly lodged itself into his forehead, but thankfully he’d still been slightly hunched forward. Eyes wide, heart hammering in his throat from the shock, he turned around to look at where the scythe was currently embedded into the wall. That alone showed how much force it’d had behind it. 

“That would’ve chopped my head off,” Jake broke the shocked silence, and if there was a slight waver to his voice then well, he could still plausibly deny that. “Sometimes it’s useful that you’re so tiny!” As he spoke he slinked closer, not-at-all subtly checking if Piers was alright.

Piers let all the air rush out of his lungs, latching onto the remark as it was much easier to be annoyed about that than to examine the near-death experience more closely. “Seriously, Leon is only like an inch taller than I am, why aren’t you torturing _him_ about it?” he snapped, instinctively taking a step away to create more space between them. 

“First of all, I kind of want to live to see tomorrow, y’know. Secondly,” Jake smirked, that slight upwards quirk of his lips that was so typical for him, “he’s not the one I’m trying to seduce here.”

That now startled a laugh out of Piers, and quickly he straightened to his full height and started to advance down the corridor. He needed to get the hell out of here as soon as he possibly could. Jake was starting to get into his head, in more ways than one. “Seduce? So your version of seducing is childish pigtail-pulling?” he couldn’t help but ask. 

“Maybe,” Jake admitted easily. “Only if I really like them, though.” He saw the way the slight blush again crept up Piers’ neck, and he had to admit that he quite enjoyed having the man so flustered around him. It at least showed that he was gaining a reaction with his advances, even if it wasn’t – yet – quite what he was going for. 

Another few narrowly avoided spikes and scythes later, Jake managed to find a supply of first aid items in a room they’d cleared. Some of it was the quality high-end stuff, he could tell, so quickly he grabbed whatever seemed to be the most useful things. He caught a first aid spray off a shelf, throwing it towards Piers with a “catch, sweetheart!”

The expression he got for it was alone worth it, but in addition to that Piers also fumbled and didn’t manage to catch the item, the can clattering onto the floor next to his feet. Obviously embarrassed, Piers quickly bent down to grab it, mumbling a distant thank you. Jake barely heard it, though, as he’d figured out a way he could get a rise out of the other man: petnames. 

So he exploited that. Every single chance he got, Jake was now dropping in _honeys_ and _sweethearts_ and _darlings_ , sometimes even ones that didn’t really make sense but felt good in the moment. 

And the reaction was priceless every time. Sometimes it was just a little dash of red at the tips of Piers’ ears, sometimes it was a wide-eyed disbelieving look, sometimes a frustrated sigh. The best part was though how a quick “Take the shot, babe!” managed to startle Piers so much he missed entirely, the bullet flying wide by several inches from where he’d been aiming. 

Quickly Jake took the shot and dealt with the guard, before turning to look at Piers. “What was that about?” he asked disbelievingly. As much as he’d been teasing and dropping the petnames everywhere, this was the first time Piers actually got so distracted he missed his mark. “I haven’t seen you miss a shot before.”

As an answer Piers raised his gun, firing twice in quick succession. Jake spun around in time to see two bodies hit the floor behind himself, and he couldn’t even try to cover how impressed he was as he slowly turned back towards his companion. “You were saying?” Piers asked, arching an eyebrow. 

Jake nodded slowly, as if to underline his approval. “Good shot.” Then there was that intense look again, something sharp in his eyes as he barely even blinked. “That was kind of hot.”

A rebellious part of Piers reveled in that, the simple statement already sending a shiver through him, but he covered it up the best he could, quickly rounding a corner. “Let’s just get going.”

*

The lower levels weren’t only swarming with guards by the time they got there, but they were also full of full-on monsters that someone had apparently let loose. It made advancing a lot slower and a lot more tedious, and even Jake used most of his focus on them making progress instead of his awful attempts at flirting.

So when they finally got the laboratory area cleared, and were finally able to catch their breaths for a moment, Jake’s “Hey, gorgeous, got any water?” caught Piers so off guard his patience finally snapped like a twig. 

For once he didn’t yell, though, didn’t explode at Jake, but instead breathed out a half-defeated “Stop doing that.”

“What?” Jake blinked at him as if he had no idea what that meant, like he was a picture of innocence. “Calling you gorgeous? It’s not my fault it’s true.”

For a second Piers considered just leaving, just setting the charges and marching off as fast as he possibly could. He could leave this discussion behind as well as he could leave the underground laboratory. “It’s distracting,” he admitted eventually, so tense he was grinding his teeth together. “Stop trying to confuse me.”

Jake was silent for an oddly long moment, and eventually Piers looked up, meeting his eyes. Only then Jake spoke up, slowly crossing the room until they were standing almost chest to chest. “I’m not trying to _confuse_ you. I’m trying to fucking hit on you. There’s a difference.” The teasing tone was gone, the amused smile that had been lingering on his face for hours was gone, and it was all replaced with an almost unsettling amount of sheer honesty. 

The honesty was what Piers couldn’t really handle. For the longest he’d been trying to convince to himself that he was just misinterpreting things, that he was just… crushing so hard that he was wistfully imagining things that weren’t there. But now that Jake actually spelled it out for him? There was no denying it anymore. “But _why_?”

Jake looked almost offended. “What do you mean _why_? I like you!” he burst out, and when he stepped forward Piers stepped back. He didn’t give in, though, but kept on advancing, slowly backing Piers into a corner. “God knows why because you’re such an asshole, you’re stubborn and hard headed and you never fucking listen to a word I say, and you always just try to make things difficult for me, but I _like_ you, and you _are_ gorgeous and I really kind of want to just kiss you again.” 

In truth, there was probably nothing Piers wanted more than that, right at this moment. He bit the inside of his cheek, and for a second he looked straight at Jake, met his gaze with his own. Then he reminded himself of what their status was, why he had been trying to ignore all of this in the first place. “Sherry deserves better,” he blurted out. 

“Sherry?” Jake repeated, baffled. “What the hell are you talking about?”

“Don’t play stupid, Muller.” Piers closed his eyes, let his head fall back against the wall with a thunk. He’d gone slack, didn’t even try to struggle or to free himself, but instead just leaned back and stayed as still as possible, as passive as he could. “I’m not interested in being your sidepiece. And Sherry deserves better than to be cheated on.”

“Is _that_ why you’ve been giving me the cold shoulder?” Jake asked. He could already feel the grin blossoming on his face, didn’t even try to hold back the laughter that bubbled from him. This was fucking fantastic!

Piers opened his eyes again and frowned at him. “Do you need any more reasons? Wow, and I really thought you weren’t a raging asshole, I guess I was wrong.”

“Look,” Jake shifted, trapped Piers’ head between his forearms as he leaned in, until their noses were almost touching. “I’m not dating Supergirl. She saved me, she changed my life, and I love her. But not like that.” He could feel Piers stiffen in his arms, could sense the surprise even if he hadn’t seen the slack-jawed expression directed at him. “There is nothing even remotely romantic going on between me and her.”

Piers seemed to be lost in thought, looked like his brain was going into an overdrive trying to piece the new information together with all the moments they’d shared up until now. He was putting everything into the correct perspective, and it left him reeling. 

Graciously Jake gave him a moment, but then allowed a smirk to stretch his lips. “So. Now can I kiss you?”

As an answer, Piers lifted his chin and captured Jake’s lips with his own. It was radically different from the explosion of need that they’d experienced back on that roof, all soft and exploring and hesitant. Jake brushed his fingers over Piers’ cheek as if he couldn’t believe what was happening, before sliding his hand to the back of his head.

It was over way too soon, but they were both focused on their surroundings and there was an odd sound that drew them apart. Jake took a moment to just look Piers in the eye, but then gave him a faint smile as he nodded his head to the side. “I’m going to see what that is. You grab the samples and set the explosives, okay?”

Piers just nodded, kind of dumbly. “Okay.”

For a few seconds Piers stared at the door through which Jake had just gone, but then he gave himself a mental kick and snapped into motion. He detached the cooled metal container from his belt, one that was built for the sole purpose of collecting possible samples from whatever they came in contact with. He made quick work of whatever little was left there, before starting to set the explosives in the room to make sure the rest would be destroyed. 

He was nearly done when he heard Jake shout, and immediately he dropped what he’d been doing in favor of rushing out into the corridor. When he got there Jake had already shot down the creature that had attacked him, but there were three more advancing quickly from the far end of the corridor. “Get back!” Piers snapped, gesturing for the other man to just let it go and run. “They’ll blow up with the rest!” 

Thankfully, for once, Jake listened to him without arguments and bolted towards him, so quick on those long legs that the BOWs didn’t seem to be catching up. Hastily Piers rounded the corner, making sure he’d set everything right in the laboratory, punched the timer and fled. 

They ran as fast as they could, and although Piers didn’t exactly stop to see how Jake was doing, he was still constantly aware of the presence next to him. They’d cleared the way so thoroughly that there were no obstacles, they could head straight up the stairs to the ground level and take a straight heading towards the exit. 

Their good luck held almost all the way to the doors. Piers could already see it, see their destination, when a howl cut through the air. Instantly they both knew what it was. Guard dogs. And not just any dogs, but those horribly mutated infected ones, staring at them from their dead eyes. There were three of them, approaching fast, and Piers barely had the time to fire a shot at one of them. There was no way they could outrun them now. 

The creature Piers had hit slumped down onto the ground, howling in pain, and as it seemed it wasn’t going to move anytime soon Piers shifted his attention onto the dog that was leaping at him. Somewhere below them explosions were making the whole building rumble, and for a second panic flared up in Piers’ mind as he _knew_ they’d need to get out of there in _minutes_. The building was coming down on them. 

The last of the dogs had leapt at Jake and given him the opportunity to take it down. This had all cost them time, though, time they couldn’t afford if they wanted to get out of there alive. They only glanced at one another, before sprinting towards the door as fast as they possibly could. Piers was lagging behind, and although Jake was already at the doorway he stopped instead of getting outside, reached out his hand for Piers as if to urge him on. “C’mon!” 

There was yet another rumble, debris falling behind them as the building gave its last sighs before giving in entirely. There was a huge chunk of ceiling just above the doorway that was rattling loose, right above Jake’s head.

Piers didn’t think, just acted. He surged forward, bodily throwing himself against Jake to shove him out of the way of the falling rubble. The second he did that he realized that it left him straight in the spot where Jake had been standing, and he barely had the time to bring up his arms to shelter his head when the ceiling fell down on him. 

The last thing Piers heard was his own name, distant and muffled. Then it was all black.

*

The bright lights were the first thing Piers registered, followed closely by a massive thudding headache that seemed to spread from the back of his skull into every part of him. Carefully he forced his eyes open, and was immediately greeted by an unfamiliar smiling face. “Good, you’re awake!” the nurse said cheerfully, “How are you feeling?”

Piers groaned, closing his eyes tight for a second. “Like I got run over.”

“It’ll get better,” she promised, checking something on his chart, before fiddling with the IV-drip. She seemed to be very efficient, at least from whatever experience Piers had with hospitals. Only when she seemed to be satisfied that she was done, she turned back to smile at him again. “There’s a young man outside who’s been pacing the hallway ever since you were brought here. Want me to let him in?”

There was no one else that could be but Jake, and the thought of that immediately made Piers smile, despite himself. It felt nice, knowing that someone had been worried about him, had waited for him to wake up. So he nodded, “yes please.” A part of him was a little nervous, though, as he wasn’t entirely sure where they stood. They had kissed, sure, but that did little more than establish mutual attraction. What if Jake had changed his mind and wanted nothing to do with Piers now?

That particular train of thought was squashed the second Jake barreled into the room and straight to Piers’ bedside. “Don’t you _ever_ fucking do that to me again!” he burst out. Instinctively he reached out but then seemed to realize what he was doing and quickly stuffed his hands into his pockets, frowning intensely. 

“Do what?” Piers croaked out. His entire face felt like one big bruise. He probably looked like shit warmed over, and realizing that immediately made him feel self-conscious. He tried to cover it up, though, instead smirked the best he could. “Save your sorry ass?”

“Yes!” Jake snapped. “I was _worried_! And they wouldn’t let me in because I’m not family.” He shifted a little, hunching over, pulled his hands out of his pockets only to slide them back in again. He was obviously hovering, not knowing what to do, but still clearly antsy to do _something_. His expression turned even more sour as he added “Sherry told me not to cause a scene.”

Piers sighed. “Remind me to thank her later.”

“Isn’t it _me_ you should be thanking?” Jake asked, and for whatever reason, he seemed to be relaxing again. Maybe he was finally convinced that Piers was alive and intact, or maybe just the stilted conversation helped him get his bearings. “I was the one who hauled your unconscious ass out of there.”

“Come here,” Piers said and gestured for Jake to come closer. It took some effort, but as soon as he could reach he grabbed the front of Jake’s shirt, hauling him in for a kiss. It sent a sharp burst of pain through him at first, and he realized he now had a matching split lip with Jake. It wasn’t too bad, though, not bad enough to want to break the contact at least. 

Even though they both lingered it was over soon, and when Piers let go of Jake’s shirt he grinned up at him. “Was that grateful enough?”

Jake mirrored the grin as he shrugged. “Yeah I think I can live with that.”

For a moment they kept smiling at each other like fools, but then Piers realized that there were other people who had been here with them, who had been brought in to get medical attention too. “How’s Sherry?” he asked first, as she had been the one they had come here to save, after all. 

“She’s good, with that freaky healing thing and all. I think she’s healthier than I am,” Jake answered with fondness in his voice. Then he turned more serious. “It’s Agent Hot Stuff that we’re kind of worried about.” His frown deepened. “Apparently there was more internal bleeding than it seemed at first.”

Immediately that was like a bucket of ice cold water on him, and Piers struggled to sit up. Thankfully Jake didn’t try to stop him, but instead offered him support, helping him prop himself to an upright position. “How bad is it?” Piers asked, swallowing hard against the dread that was creeping up his throat. “Is he–”

“He’s stable,” Jake interrupted, “and Redfield didn’t seem _too_ freaked out so I figured he’s going to be fine. But he hasn’t woken up yet.” He actually looked worried, even though he was trying to appear as nonchalant and unaffected as possible. It was sort of adorable. 

“Okay,” Piers nodded, breathing a sigh of relief at the words. At least it didn’t sound like there was any imminent danger. He nodded again, for good measure, mumbling out a “Good.” but then silence fell between them. They weren’t used to this, to coexisting in the same space without a clear end-goal in mind or the looming danger just inches away. There was nothing to work towards, and it made the air between them feel heavy with awkwardness. 

Still, before it could stretch on too far, Piers spoke up. “So,” he started hesitantly, “where do we go from here?” He didn’t even look up, as he realized he was too afraid of what the answer would be. Jake had been circling around him ever since the start of this mission, but things had shifted, this was… different.

Jake just shrugged, dropping down to sit on the chair next to the bed. Not before dragging it closer, though, so that he could lean in and rest his elbows on the edge of the mattress. “I thought that when you look less like a human shaped bruise I could take you out?”

The words reminded Piers of all the bruises and the scrapes again, and he grimaced a little. Jake had probably been drawn to how he looked, and it must’ve been a huge turn-off seeing him banged up like this. It was vaguely disappointing – no, scratch that, _incredibly_ disappointing because somehow Piers had already begun hoping that there might be something in the works between them, something that had potential.

He could deal with this like an adult, though, he decided. So he gave an awkward little nod, trying to come out of this with his pride intact. “Yeah, I get it, it’s fine. I know I look like crap, s–” 

“Hey!” Jake yelped indignantly, looking actually offended. “Do you think _I_ care about _that_?” As he spoke, he gestured towards his own face, at the prominent scar on his cheek, as if that explained everything. Soon the indignation melted away, only to be replaced by a smile. “It’s just that,” he went on in a low drawl, leaning closer until their noses were almost brushing, “The things I want to do to you? Can’t have a cracked rib ruining all the fun…”

A wave of relief washed through Piers at the words, at how sincere Jake seemed to be about them. As if in mutual agreement they both leaned in at the same time, into what was now the fourth time they kissed. Careful not to hurt him any further, Jake just placed his palm gently onto Piers’ shoulder, as if he needed at least some kind of contact. 

Regretfully Piers pulled back before they could get too into it. His ribs still hurt, scratch that, his _entire being_ hurt, and no matter how much he wanted to pull Jake into the bed with him he knew better. 

“You’re allowed out of bedrest whenever you feel up to it,” Jake pointed out, and although he aimed for a cocky smirk it turned out a lot softer than that. “Wanna have our first date in the hospital cafeteria?”

Grinning, Piers nodded. “I’m in.”

From then on, Jake took it upon himself to drag Piers in the cafeteria at least twice a day, just to get him out of bed and moving around. Sometimes they didn’t even buy anything, just sat at the table for a moment before getting back to the room Piers had for himself. It was nice enough, even if the tension between them had shifted to something almost tentative, something …so very different.

As much as it drove Piers insane that he was still stuck in the hospital, that three days later Leon still wasn’t awake and neither Chris nor Sherry had moved from his bedside, at least he had something good in his life. Something, someone, to keep him company. Who knew what would come of the budding relationship once they’d get out of here, get back to the real world? But as for now, he hoped it would last.

He really, really did.

*

It took Leon several tries before he managed to blink his eyes open, as if his eyelids were made of lead. His head felt fuzzy, and from that alone he knew he was on some quality painkillers right now. Even so, as soon as he tried to shift a little sharp pain shot up from his waist, making him groan involuntarily. That was when he realized he wasn’t alone, as it took maybe half a second before there were people in his field of vision, worried faces staring at him.

“It’s good to have you back,” Sherry said, the first one to speak. She looked as relieved as she sounded, and wasted no time before she leaned down and gently half-hugged Leon. “You scared me half to death!” She pulled back, miming punching him in the arm. She was obviously still worried, but at least relief was as prominent on her face. 

“I’m sorry?” Leon tried, but his voice barely carried even those two words, his tongue thick and throat dry. He struggled to get up, wincing as the pain flared up immediately.

“Slow down,” Chris told him, immediately reaching out to place his hands on Leon’s shoulders, urging him to lie back down. “You lost a lot of blood, so just. Take a moment to rest for once, okay. You’ve been out of it for days.” He looked stern, obviously he wasn’t going to back off and let this go, so obediently Leon allowed himself to be pushed back down into the pillows. 

Chris had dark circles under his eyes, exhaustion evident in every line of his face. It made guilt spark within Leon, and desperately he grasped for anything he could say that might make it better. “C’mon. I’ve had worse,” he croaked out, voice rough from the lack of use, “I’ve crashed an airplane, remember?”

That earned him a chuckle at least, even if it wasn’t exactly joyous. “You’re damn lucky I let you go outside at all. I should just wrap you up in bubble wrap to keep you safe.” Chris stepped away from the bed, but he was back within seconds, holding up a cup of water with a straw. “Careful. You’re not supposed to drink too much yet.”

Carefully Leon took a couple of small sips of water, resisting the urge to draw in as much as he could. It helped at least a little, and he managed to quirk his lips up in a grateful smile. 

“I’m going to give you a moment,” Sherry decided, after watching the exchange silently. “But you!” She pointed at Leon. “I’m coming back to yell at you for being reckless, so don’t get too comfortable. I’m only being this nice because you desperately need rest first.” She glanced at Chris with a wink and a “Take care of him.” before quickly slipping out of the room. 

As soon as they were alone, Chris reached out, placed a palm onto Leon’s neck and leaned in to brush their lips together. It was barely a kiss, only the faintest of touches, but it still made Leon smile. There was so much sheer affection in the gentle way Chris was handling him that he didn’t know what to do with it. Even after almost a decade it filled him with wonder.

Chris pressed his forehead against Leon’s temple, his nose brushing Leon’s cheek as if he was breathing him in, focusing on him with each and every sense. “I’m glad you’re okay.” The words were merely whispered, half-choked, and it was obvious that Chris was only now letting go of the tension that had kept him coiled tight up until now.

“Yeah, me too.” Leon smiled, shifting even closer as he closed his eyes, focused on the shared warmth. He was glad Sherry was alright, too. And that led him to thinking of the rest of their rescue group. “Did Piers and Jake make it out alright?”

“They’re fine. They didn’t only manage to destroy the lab, but bring back samples too.” Chris pulled back, straightening to his full height. “If you ask me, they worked surprisingly well together,” he huffed, amused, before going on. “Piers had to stay here overnight, he got a bump in the head. But you know him, he’s hard-headed.”

“Ain’t that the truth,” Leon agreed, unable to hold back a laugh. It was a huge relief to hear everyone had survived and gotten back with only minor injuries. That was never a given in this field of work, and he knew to be grateful for it every time. 

Amusement was dancing in Chris’ voice as he spoke again. “You were right. There absolutely is something going on between them.”

“I told you!” Leon laughed again, even though it hurt every single time he did. He grimaced a little, hoping that it wasn’t too evident. “Just like us.”

“Oh I don’t know,” Chris drawled, eyes sparkling with amusement. “I thought we were _special_.” He moved to sit down on the edge of the bed, his palm warm on Leon’s arm as he rested it there. It was as if he couldn’t manage without at least some kind of contact, needed to touch to ground himself. Besides, Leon didn’t mind. He enjoyed it as much as Chris. After a short pause, Chris went on thoughtfully. “Do you really think they’ve got what it takes?”

Absently Leon twined their fingers together, gave Chris’ hand a small squeeze. “Give them time. They’ll get there, if they want to.” With his free hand he tugged on the covers a little, lifting them invitingly. “Now get here. I want to take a nap.”

Chris didn’t need to be told twice, and he obediently shifted until he could carefully settle down on the creaky bed next to Leon, gently gathering the other man close to himself. “This thing isn’t big enough for two,” he complained, even though he had absolutely no intention to turn down the nap. 

Moving around hadn’t been the most pleasant of experiences, but now that Leon settled down and could shamelessly use Chris’ shoulder as a pillow he felt contentment spread through him, every fiber of his being relaxing into the closeness. The ever present aches were easier to ignore. “Will you be here when I wake up?”

“I’ve dealt with your pre-breakfast moods in the mornings for almost a decade,” Chris started, slowly drawing circles into Leon’s side with his fingers. “I think I can handle an uncomfortable mattress for an hour or two.”

Leon stifled his laugh into Chris’ shirt. “My hero.”

*

Piers was sitting in the middle of his bed, cross-legged and flipping through a magazine without really paying it any attention, when Sherry waltzed into the room like it was something she did all the time. She had been in the room only once before, and she’d mostly talked with Jake. Not that Piers minded, he’d been perfectly content just listening to the two bicker like the best friends they were. But it did make him curious why she was here now.

The explanation followed soon though, as the first thing that came out of her mouth was a “Leon’s awake.” She was smiling so wide it was more than obvious how happy she was, even without the content sparkle in her eyes. “And they’re telling me he’s going to be fine.”

That made a weight roll off Piers’ shoulders and he breathed a sigh of relief, automatically mirroring the smile. He’d been more worried than he’d been ready to even admit “Chris still with him?” he asked, mostly to have something to say, as he knew the answer before he heard it.

“Yeah, obviously,” Sherry answered with a laugh, “I thought I’d give them some privacy and come bother you.” She actually winked at him, before looking around the simple room, lips pursed thoughtfully. “I’m surprised Jake isn’t here though.”

Piers shrugged a little, closing the magazine he wasn’t reading anyway. “He went to find some food that isn’t from the hospital cafeteria. Said something about shitty hospital food not being fit for grown men?” 

“Sounds like him.” Sherry pulled a face, underlining it with an eyeroll, even though a second later she was chuckling a little as if Jake’s antics never failed to amuse her. She turned a little more serious then, looked at Piers with that disarming, earnest way she had. “But trust me, he’d live off of stale bread if he’d have to. He’s just doing it because he wants to do something nice for _you_. Show that he cares.”

That made something like contentment spread in Piers’ chest, and he hoped that he wasn’t broadcasting all of his feelings on his face as clearly as it felt like. He swallowed hard, searching for words, but finding none. “Um.”

“He told me,” Sherry went on, gleefully, “And I think it’s _really adorable_ how you tried to be so considerate of my feelings.”

This time Piers knew, without a doubt, that he was blushing in embarrassment. “I don–”

“No that was a compliment!” Sherry cut him off immediately. “You’re a good guy. And I think you’ll be really good influence on him. I mean, I love him, I do. But sometimes he bends the rules more than what’s good for him. And I think you’re stubborn enough to give him a run for his money,” she winked.

That wasn’t something Piers could argue about, so he didn’t even try. “Yeah, he can be really terrible. It’s like he thinks no rules apply to him because he’s above them somehow.” He was more than aware of how fond he sounded, how there was a certain softness to his voice, how he sounded absolutely ridiculously smitten instead of annoyed. 

“I know!” Sherry snickered. “I don’t know how he can be so charming while being such a dick.”

“I don’t know how I should feel about you two gossiping about me.”

Immediately both Piers and Sherry looked up, only then noticing that Jake had returned. Jake was standing in the doorway, leaning against it as he grinned at the two of them, a brown paper bag of takeout in his hand. He didn’t seem bothered in the slightest that he was being talked about, quite the contrary, he was almost smug about it. 

Sherry threw a look at him. “Don’t let it get into your head. Now come here and give us food.”

“Who says you’ll get any?” Jake asked. He did as he’d been told, though, and straightened before closing the door behind himself. When he got to the bed he sat down on the edge right next to Piers, and wordlessly leaned in to plant a quick kiss in the corner of his mouth. It was so casual, so… normal? Like it was something they did every day and had done for the past decade. And Piers couldn’t stop himself from smiling. 

Despite his words, Jake dug around the bag and handed the very first carton to Sherry, along with utensils. He’d probably guessed this, or then he’d just gone overboard trying to pick something good. Whatever it was, there was more than enough for all three of them, probably even enough to have leftovers. Sherry propped her feet up on the mattress as she leaned back in her chair, humming contently as she saw what he’d given her. 

“I know you said you can’t stand squid,” Jake started, and as he spoke he’d already speared some food onto a fork, and was holding it up for Piers. “But you’ve got to taste this. I promise, it will be life changing.” He looked almost excited about it, eager to share, and that was nothing short of adorable. 

“And if I hate it?” Piers asked, a lopsided grin on his face. “Is that a deal breaker? Will you dump me?” Without waiting for an answer, he obediently parted his lips. He could at least give it a try, there wasn’t really anything to lose.

“No,” Jake dropped his voice low, and for a fleeting second it felt like they were the only two people in the room. “You’re kind of stuck with me now.”

*

_three weeks later_

The door practically slammed shut behind them as they stumbled over the threshold and into the dark apartment, neither of them caring about it enough to even check if the door locked or not. As long as it was shut, it was good enough for the both of them, and they could direct their attention to the more pressing matters at hand.

Jake had slid both his hands under Piers’ shirt, eager like nothing else, as if he wanted to get to touch every single inch of skin. He was kissing Piers so frantically he’d managed to even bite his lip in the haste, and the only thing he broke the contact for was the opportunity to slide Piers’ shirt over his head and throw it down onto the floor. He didn’t even pause, just kept on walking forward and coevally pushed Piers backwards in the general direction of the bedroom. 

“Slow down,” Piers breathed out when the kiss breaking gave him the chance to. Jake seemed to think talking was absolutely overrated as he latched his mouth onto Piers’ neck, shamelessly sucking a mark under his ear. That was more than a little distracting but Piers tried his best, even managed to dodge the coffee table without tripping on it. “I don’t want to break my neck,” he complained, but it lacked both heat and focus. 

“Don’t stall,” Jake answered, the words mumbled because his lips were still pressed against Piers’ skin. “I can’t believe you made me go through three dates to get this far. I want you out of these _now_.” As he spoke he tugged on Piers’ belt-loops, yanked him closer against himself until they were chest to chest. 

The sound that escaped Piers was something between a laugh and a moan, and he quickly wrapped his arms around Jake’s neck to steady himself. “You call those _dates_?” he asked, incredulous, but also amused despite himself. “Did you really count the time you took me to _McDonald’s_!?”

“Yes,” Jake admitted easily. Somehow he managed to maneuver them into the bedroom – fucking _finally_ – and with one quick push he sent Piers practically flying onto the mattress. For a moment Jake remained standing, grinning down at the other man. “That was totally a date. I paid, didn’t I? It’s totally an upgrade compared to the hospital cafeteria. And I counted that, too.”

“You’re such an asshole,” Piers rolled his eyes, but no matter what, he couldn’t bite back his smile. 

Jake shrugged. “Possibly. Even likely.” He set his knees on the mattress, crawling forward until he was hovering above the other man, looking down at him, only inches between their faces. “Stop complaining. We’ve got better things to do.”

“You know,” Piers nodded hastily, already gripping the hem of Jake’s shirt to yank the garment over his head. “For once in your life you’re right.” The shirt got stuck on Jake’s head and it took them some effort to get him untangled from it, but as soon as the shirt was gone it flew to the floor, deemed completely unnecessary for now. It was soon followed by the rest of their clothes, even though somehow they seemed to be lacking coordination and it took Piers three tries to even get his own jeans down past his hips.

All of that was long forgotten when they were finally naked, had access to all of that glorious skin on skin contact. Neither of them seemed to be able to keep from touching, wherever they could reach, as they were shamelessly rutting against one another in an attempt to gain even more of the delicious friction. 

Suddenly Jake pulled back a little, only smirking at Piers quickly before sliding downwards. “I want to suck you off.” The words had barely left his lips when he was already moving, his mouth hot on Piers’ chest and abdomen where he made his way down. His hands weren’t idle, either, kept exploring, always lingering whenever he found a spot that made Piers shiver. 

Piers squeezed his eyes shut, bit his lower lip in an attempt to get a hold of himself. Otherwise this would be over too fast, as he could already feel his control fraying dangerously. It was already difficult enough to keep himself in check when Jake closed his lips over the head of his dick, sucking tentatively, but then he sank down further and it was game over for Piers. That was it. He was ruined for everything else. He’d allowed himself to fall so goddamn far that there was no way he’d survive this. 

Not that it didn’t go both ways. Truth to be told, Jake hadn’t done this in a while. Then again, he didn’t remember ever being so eager, either. He had never actually enjoyed giving head but now he was doing it as much for himself as for Piers, enjoying every single reaction he managed to pull from the other man. 

Until Piers stopped him by grabbing at his head, trying to pull him off. 

“Stop it, Jake, stop. _Jake_.” Piers babbled, far beyond coherency. The words were finally enough to make Jake pull back, a slightly confused frown on his face. That expression needed to go away, immediately, right the fuck now. So Piers reached down, grabbed Jake’s shoulder with one hand and his upper arm with the other, pulling him up. “C’mon, c’mon, come _here_.” 

“Why did you make me stop?” Jake asked, voice hoarse and rough. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, grinning at the mere memory of what he’d just been doing. He didn’t allow himself to dwell on it for very long, though, but practically fell forward to steal a quick kiss from Piers. It brought them closer again, chest-to-chest, and experimentally he rolled his hips in a way that made them both moan helplessly as it felt so good. 

Their faces were so close their lips were brushing, and when Piers tried to look at Jake he felt how cross-eyed he went. “I want you to fuck me,” he breathed out, unsure up until the point when the words actually fell from him. It was as if saying that out loud confirmed that yes, he really did want it, and the slack-jawed awe on Jake’s face was already well worth it. 

“Really? Can I?”

Piers couldn’t help but laugh. “ _Yes_. Get on with it.”

“Then turn around,” Jake said, immediately on board with the idea. He slapped Piers’ ass lightly, then helped him when he turned around and got on his hands and knees. Now if that wasn’t a sight for sore eyes, Jake thought, and he might have taken a good moment just to _look_ , to memorize this for the inevitable cold and lonely nights in his future. At least he’d always have the memory to tide him over until the next time he’d get the real thing.

Jake made quick work of the prep, his fingers long and precise even though he nearly fumbled with the tube of lube at first. He was nothing if not efficient when he wanted something, and this? This was something he didn’t even have words for, that was how badly he wanted it. It was mere minutes, but somehow it felt like much more until he finally deemed himself done, aligning himself so he could press his dick against Piers and started to push in.

It had been _months_ since the last time, and for a split second Piers thought that it was too much, almost asked for Jake to stop. But then Jake nudged his hips forward, slid all the way inside in one smooth thrust, and Piers forgot he’d been about to do _anything_. All he could do was breathe, mouth hanging open and eyes squeezed shut, as the pleasure spread through him. “Fuck yes.” He hung his head forward, arms trembling with the effort to keep himself up. 

“I’m gonna last like, fifteen seconds,” Jake murmured right into Piers’ ear, a note of amusement laced into the huskiness of his voice. 

Jake was obviously grinning, Piers could feel it against his skin, and somehow that drew a breathless laugh from him. “Then fucking _go for it_.”

“Yes, sir,” Jake laughed openly now, as if it was startled from him, and he didn’t hesitate before he did exactly what he’d been told. He kept his palms on Piers’ hips, held on to him as he first worked out a steady pace. There was no hope for him to be able to keep it up for long, just as he’d said, and soon enough it was less finesse and more just frantically trying to get them both where they needed to be. 

Piers just braced himself, tried to meet every single movement the best he could, and when Jake reached around him and laced his fingers around his achingly hard erection, it was game over for him in no time. Piers slumped forward, buried his face into the pillow in front of him, and let go. This wasn’t even by far the first time he’d gotten fucked, but he didn’t remember ever getting off so hard, his entire world narrowing down to the pleasure alone. 

Distantly Piers could hear Jake was talking, but he couldn’t make out the exact words even though they were spoken right into his ear. He shivered a little at the hot breath on his neck, though, the aftershocks shaking him as his body was trying to adjust and come down from the high. Then Jake was coming, too, his hips stuttering and stilling as the same bliss invaded his consciousness, too. 

It was over all too fast, but it made up for that in sheer intensity and neither of them had any presence of mind to complain. Instead they collapsed side by side on the bed, and for a long moment the only sound in the room was the ragged breathing and an occasional content sigh that neither of them would own up to. 

“So,” Jake drawled eventually, after he felt that he’d regained his composure enough to be able to form actual words. “If you want, I could take you to the movies, or something. Not to make you feel like a cheap date.”

Piers burst out laughing. Maybe he was a little bit pleasure-drunk, still. “You owe me like… a steak dinner or something. Seriously. I deserve that.”

Instead of mocking him for it, instead of making it a playful argument or teasing, Jake just shifted until he could wrap an arm around Piers’ waist and pull him against himself. “Yeah,” he agreed, nothing but sincerity in his voice as he pressed his lips against Piers’ temple, tightening the hold he had of him. “You do.”

What was there to say to that? Piers allowed himself to relax, basking in the shared warmth and the pleasant haze still lingering at the edges of his consciousness. 

This was good.

More than good.


End file.
